Fashion responsibility certificates

Sustainable development, ethics, and responsibility are important topics and are being discussed now more than ever. Responsibility and fashion are especially important topics, as clothing production is a huge industry with much room for improvement. The textile industry is constantly being developed, for example, through various certificates that help companies improve their operations and provide customers with more transparency and ease in purchasing decisions. 

In this article, we discuss some of the most common certificates based on ethical and ecological criteria and explain how these certificates are used in Guggu's products.

In this article, you will get to know the following certificates:

• GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard
• Oeko-tex 100 standard
• Global Recycled Standard
• BLUESIGN®

GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard

The Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS, is a certificate focused on organic fibers. In addition to organic quality, GOTS monitors the ecological impact of the product's lifecycle, chemical use, and ethical aspects such as working conditions.

GOTS is a third-party certificate, which means that obtaining the certificate always involves an inspection conducted by a separate auditor. These inspections are carried out by GOTS-trained and approved Certification Body- groups that are assessed before approval and continuously monitored by GOTS to ensure reliable results.

GOTS offers two different certificates. The lower level is the GOTS label. The higher level is the GOTS organic label.

For the GOTS label, the product's fiber composition must contain at least 70% organic fibers. For the GOTS organic label, 95% of the fiber composition must be organic fibers. The remaining 30%-5% can be non-organic natural fibers (e.g., conventional cotton) or synthetic fibers (e.g., elastane). GOTS is also strict about what counts as organic fiber—for example, certain processed bamboo fibers do not meet the criteria, even if the bamboo itself is organically grown.

In addition to the organic quality of fibers, GOTS monitors the environmental and social impacts of the product's lifecycle. GOTS thus oversees compliance with criteria such as: 

• Used dyes must be environmentally friendly and approved
• Wastewater must be treated in an environmentally friendly manner
• GOTS does not allow chlorine, formaldehyde, or heavy metals
• The use of child labor is strictly prohibited
• ILO fundamental labor rights must be observed

Among Gugguu products, patterned jersey products, patterned bucket hats and caps, as well as cotton knits, are made from GOTS organic label certified materials. Read more about GOTS here.

Oeko-tex 100 standard

The Oeko-tex 100 standard is an international textile certificate that focuses specifically on product safety. The standard ensures that products do not contain residues of harmful substances, such as pesticides, heavy metals, or formaldehyde. The goal is to ensure that textiles do not pose a risk to human health.

The criteria differ slightly based on product classification. Different products are divided into four classes based on their use. The classes are:

Class 1: The first class has the highest criteria. This class includes, for example, baby products. 

Class 2: The second highest criteria apply to products in direct skin contact. This class includes, for example, underwear and shirts. 

Class 3: The third class consists of products without direct skin contact. Such products include jackets and accessories like belts.

Class 4: The lowest criteria apply to products not used on the body. For example, interior textiles belong to this category. 

The certificate must be renewed annually. The criteria are also reviewed at least yearly to stay up to date with the latest knowledge and research. Product testing for certification is conducted with neutral, private, and supervised testing institutions. 

All fabrics used by Gugguu have the Oeko-Tex 100 standard.

Global Recycled Standard - GRS

The Global Recycled Standard is a certificate focusing on recycled materials, social responsibility, the environment, and chemicals. GRS has created a strong list of criteria and requirements followed by neutral third-party audits. The certificate was established by Control Union Certifications in 2008.

As a recycling certificate, GRS naturally focuses on verifying the amount of recycled fibers in products. This guarantees that the declared fiber composition of products can be trusted. In addition, GRS also examines working conditions, environmental friendliness, and chemical use. The goal is to increase the use of recycled materials in products while minimizing potential harm to nature and people caused by production. Through these measures, the transparency of the product lifecycle can be increased, helping customers make better purchasing decisions. 

The minimum requirement to obtain the Global Recycled Standard is that the product contains at least 20% recycled materials. In addition to composition, GRS monitors the entire process from recycling to B2B sales. This ensures that the product is what it promises, and that the production processes meet the criteria.

When a product or material has the Global Recycled Standard, you can trust that it is made under good working conditions and that the production process is environmentally friendly.

Gugguu's wrap skirts and dresses made from silk fabric, patterned swimsuits, and sweatshirts and pants are made from fabrics certified with the Global Recycled Standard. All these fabrics are made from 100% recycled materials. 

BLUESIGN® system

Founded in 2000, BLUESIGN® is an international organization that supports safety and responsibility in the textile industry from working conditions to finished products. This means that the use of harmful chemicals is monitored and all materials can be tracked to ensure safety and ecological standards. BLUESIGN® advocates transparency and traceability in the textile industry. The work is done so that textile companies worldwide can reduce the use of harmful chemicals, water, and electricity in their processes and thus make their business more responsible, more easily.

BLUESIGN®'s mission is to reduce the environmental impact of textiles and improve transparency in the industry. This increases safety for both production and the end customer. 

The outer fabric of Gugguu's outerwear and knitted jackets and pants are made in a BLUESIGN® system partner factory.

Gugguu - Ethical and responsible children's clothing

Responsibility and safety have been an important part of Gugguu since its founding - we want to leave the world in better condition than we found it. We have always done our best to ensure that our business is responsible both for nature and people, and we constantly seek new ways to implement these values. We also develop our own communication to provide our customers with important transparency about our operations. In 2020, Gugguu published its first sustainability report. After this, for example, we have...

• Increased organic cotton use by switching the patterned jersey fabric from the previous 92% cotton / 8% elastane version to a new 95% organic cotton / 5% elastane version, as well as the fabric of printed summer hats to 100% organic cotton
• Increased the use of recycled materials by changing the material of patterned swimsuits to a new fabric that is 80% recycled polyester and 20% recycled elastane
• Improved our warehouse waste management by increasing recycling of different materials
• Started cooperation Home Street Home with a charity organization in Kenya
• Achieved level B in Eetti Ry's Rank a Brand survey
• Made it Good on You- on the list with the grade "Good"

We continue to learn new things and will keep looking for new ways to make our business even more responsible.